Thursday, September 11, 2014

A lot of us humans believe our species to be the most superior of all species on Earth. This may be a matter of opinion or may be a matter of fact. Since I don't have any factual evidence that we are, I'm keeping it opinion based. I don't want to say we are or we aren't, because I don't believe there is one species that is on the top of them all. We all exist because of each other and couldn't exist without each other.

Some people live their lives keeping to their own species. Not welcoming pets into their home, squashing every bug they see in their space, running after a spray at first sight of encroaching weeds.

What I believe is that every creature that is here with us now exists for a reason, has withstood the test of time, and deserves to be living. Instead of thinking that other creatures are moving into my territory, I keep in mind that we are co-inhabiting our own common territory.

Instead of cleaning up a spider web the first moment I see it I just let it be. Instead of trying to get rid of a small daddy long legs in my bathroom, I let it do its thing. Let me close with a quote from the very smart Betty White."All creatures must learn to coexist. That’s why the brown bear and the field mouse can share their lives in harmony. Of course, they can’t mate or the mice would explode."

Betty makes us laugh, but let's really think about this. How can all that is living around us not matter for something? Again get ready to call me a hippie, but I've found true joy in greeting the squirrel that crosses my path and taking a closer look at the grass hopper that lands on my car. We may not be able to communicate with them or know what they are thinking, but at least we can have a shared moment of being alive together. And we can admire what it is about them that makes them unique. Who knows they may be smarter than us. Humans are the only species on Earth who have to think of nuclear war, home foreclosure, or divorce cases. We may be over thinking this whole alive thing. Creatures of seemly lesser intelligence may have this whole thing figured out on a deeper level than we find ourselves able to go to.